Surprising Revelations
by McRaider
Summary: Beiste had heard the conquest of Kurt Hummel from last year, his performance was impressive to say the least, but when she sees him one day in an unexpected situation, she has a deal that Kurt can't refuse.


A Surprising Revelation

McRaider

Summary: Beiste had heard the conquest of Kurt Hummel from last year, his performance was impressive to say the least, but when she sees him one day in an unexpected situation, she has a deal that Kurt can't refuse.

Author's Note: I hated Shannon Beiste at first, but watching her performance…she was amazing and I loved that about her.

Rated: PG

Shannon liked to start the majority of her mornings with a brisk run, then she fed her dog, had breakfast and headed over to the high school. She typically arrived a little before most teachers, but today she'd been slightly delayed in getting ready because her dog had insisted on smelling everything. She pulled into a parking spot, nodding briefly as Schuester got out of his car. Her eyebrows furrowed as she noticed a handful of her football players pushing a smaller boy around. The boy, clearly gay based on his clothing alone, looked angry and a little lost. Schusted walked by, and suddenly the jocks grabbed the boy close as if trying to hide their abuse. "Hey Kurt, still making friends I see."

Never in her life, had Shannon seen anyone be so oblivious to such obvious abuse. She watched as the jocks began to hoist Kurt off the ground, the kid fighting, Jesus he was small. "I promise you, if he ends up in the dumpster, you all will not only be off the football team, but all of your butts will be cleaning this school for the remainder of your high school careers." Her voice was strong and firm as all five jocks froze, looking from Kurt to the teacher. Kurt's eyes grew wide and she saw a hint of thankfulness. "Now you'll put him back on his feet, unharmed and I expect to see each of you in my office on your lunch periods, do I make myself clear." She could see the big one-Karofsky was threatening to talk back, she'd had enough issues with him as it was, she was a woman and despite her size he didn't see the need for 'no woman' choaching him. Well, she'd see to it he didn't get out of Lima if he continued his abuse on the weaker. "The first one to argue loses their position and can anticipate no kindness later."

Without another word, all five students grunted, putting Kurt on the ground and walking away. He looked terrified when he realized she was still staring at him. "Um…" He wasn't even sure what to say. "Thanks…I think." He offered, this would likely only make the abuse worse, but it was one less ruined outfit.

She nodded, "Kurt?" The boy nodded, "As in Hummel, the kid with a golden kick?"

He nodded again, "I…I don't play anymore," He whispered looking at the ground. He'd certainly been asked after last year, but when he came home with a couple broken ribs and a black eye from the fellow jocks, his father had told him he wasn't allowed to play again.

"Kurt, would you join me in my office, I'll write you a pass to your second period?"

He glanced around, unsure if she was going to kill or eat him, but he gave a very hesitant nod. "Am I in trouble?" He asked as he followed her through the hallways towards the locker room.

"No son." She was curt as she opened the door to her office, allowing him to enter first, she closed the door behind them and watched him seat himself across from her desk. She took a seat behind the desk and she paused for a long moment. "When I was in high school…I never got picked on, well I did but in my own way. No kid was stupid enough to mess with me, I was twice the size of most of the boys. But I heard everyone talk."

Kurt looked down again. "Oh." He offered.

"I have a proposition for you; wipe that look off your face, not that kind." He gave a brief smile as she gave him a surprisingly warm smile. "Kick for me, there ain't a good kicker in this whole damn school, you give me three games at least and I'll make sure none of the jocks bother you anymore."

Kurt studied her for a long moment, "With all due respect Ms Beiste, you can't promise me that, no one can…well except my dad who's threatened Mr. Figgins with a flame thrower if I'm discriminated against ever again." She chuckled but allowed him to continue, "You can't be everywhere…"

"You're right Kurt, I can't be. But football will do a number of things for you, first and foremost it'll bulk you up. Not scary bulk you up, but it'll allow that fiesty temper of yours more of a chance to defend yourself. Second, it'll prove to the fellow jocks that your as man as all of them, and finally a good deal of threatening never hurt anyone-a majority of the boys who torture you are or will be seniors in the next year and each of them wants a college scholarship so they can play football or various sports in the year. I'm the one who decides if they get to play when the recruiters show up, and don't think for a second I won't hesitate to tell someone they're off my team. I can assure you that at practice, in the locker room, after a game, during the game and at least when I see you in the halls you won't be touched, is that better?"

Kurt smiled, feeling a littler safer, "Yeah…except it's not me you have to convince."

"Okay, lead me to the man or woman I need to talk to, and we'll go from there." She offered.

"It's my dad."

She nodded, "All right, when and where should I talk to him."

"Seriously?" He raised his eyebrows, "Do me a favor, before you try and talk to my father…ask Mr. Schue and Figgins their opinions of him before you decide to tackle him. Dad…doesn't back down easily. Then if you still wanna talk to him, I'll lead you to the garage tonight."

She looked at him for a long moment then nodded, "All right then. Now, did you want a pass to second period?"

"Um…can I ask a personal question first?"

Shannon was pretty sure she knew where this was going, "Only if I don't have to answer if it's too personal."

"Deal."

"Shoot then."

"Are you…I mean…um…"

"Yes son, I am which is the other reason you're safe around me, any of those jocks find out that not only does the girl-but a gay, have the right to take some power away from them, well you know what I mean. Sometimes we've got to stick together."

Kurt smiled, "Thanks Ms. Beiste."

"Your welcome Kurt," She quickly scrawled on a piece of paper and handed it to him, "Don't take too long. Go on, and I'll talk to Schuester about paying better attention to his students."

"You don't have to," He whispered as he headed out the door, "It won't matter." Shannon watched him leave and shook her head, no student should feel that way about a teacher. She stood and decided to see Figgins first.

"Shannon, what can I do for you?" He asked in his heavy accent.

"I had a run in with Mr. Hummel today."

"Sr. or Kurt?"

"Kurt."

The man gave a visiable shiver of relief, before he nodded. "And?"

She took a seat, "I think he's being abused."

"By Mr. Hummel-"

"What! No!" Shannon shook her head, "Why are you so nervous about Mr. Hummel."

Figgins looked at her as if she were slightly crazed, "He's a large man who was no qualms with letting people know what he's really feeling. Don't make him angry. Anyway, you were saying about Kurt?"

"I think some of my football players are beating up on him."

Figgins sighed, "He's never said anything, but it wouldn't surprise me. He's much smaller than most boys his age."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Certainly, if you have names, I'll keep an eye on those boys and we'll make sure Kurt is taken care of. I can't promise anything, but I take the security of my students very seriously."

Ten minutes later, Shannon left Figgins' office feeling better knowing that Kurt was going to be protected, no one deserved to go through school feeling terrified of showing up everyday. The next person she visited was on her lunch, William Schuester, he was sitting at his usual table, and without Sue around he immediately greeted her. "Hi Shannon," He greeted.

She took a seat, digging into her chicken and salsa she'd made the night before, before deciding what to say. "What do you know about Kurt Hummel and his father?"

Will looked at her, unsure where this was going. "Kurt's a good kid, he tries hard, he's very smart. His father…has a temper, but it's clear he loves Kurt from what I can tell. Why?"

Shannon shook her head, "No reason. Figgins seems terrified of him."

Will smiled, "Probably because he threatened to burn down the school. Kurt's a great kid."

"Good to hear, "That leads me to wonder, why haven't you ever noticed that he's beaten up on a regular basis."

"What?"

"Look, it's not my place to tell you what you do and don't notice about your kids anymore than it's yours to me. That said this morning you walked right by Kurt as he was being bullied by a bunch of jocks. It concerns me that you can't see past the obvious charade to know they're throwing him in a dumpster daily."

"These kids have to fight their own battles."

Shannon shook her head, "Where I'm from, gay bashing is gay bashing no matter what way you look at it, and it's wrong. They're bullying him because he's different. You're supposed to be different, then my concern is why you notice I'm bothered by how people treat me, but you let Kurt go on day in and day out being abused by his peers because you think he has to fight this on his own. No child should have to fight five guys on his own to make it through this world."

"Shannon, with respect, I've known Kurt longer than you-"

"Maybe, but kids like Kurt need to know there's someone they can go to. And my concern is Kurt doesn't see anyone here that he can do that with. It's not his job to be an adult and shoulder all of this; it's his job to learn in a school that's safe for him. Sure right now it's stupid jocks pushing him, or throwing slushies at him, but what happens if they start throwing rocks, or bricks, or have guns and knives." Sighing Shannon stood, "As much as you may love your Glee Kids, just remember that not all of them tell you everything that's happening in their lives."

Shannon spent the rest of the day worrying over two things, Kurt Hummel and his father Mr. Hummel. She was pleasntly surprised when Kurt turned up at her office shortly after the bell rang. "Can I come in?" He asked.

"Of course, you're always welcome in here." She'd give him that place, she'd give him somewhere in this school he was safe.

Kurt looked surprised by this, "I'm headed to the garage where my dad works, did you still wanna talk to him? If so you can follow me."

She nodded, "Yes, I would."

"Okay, then I'm the Lincoln Navigator in the student parking lot."

"I'll be right out."

Kurt wasted no time going straight to his car, and getting inside, he was surprised when another SUV pulled past him, to reveal Ms. Bieste in the driver's seat. It took ten minutes to get to the garage. Kurt hopped out of the drivers side and headed inside. "Dad?" He called loudly.

"In the office Kurt," He heard the reply.

Kurt looked over his shoulder, "I'll go get him…" Without another word to Shannon, Kurt disappeared inside. The boy headed into the office and smiled at his father. "Hey."

"Hey kiddo, how was school?"

"Great!" He replied, because it actually had been, he hadn't been slushied, he hadn't been beaten up, he'd had a really good day. "Dad…Um, I want you to come meet someone."

Burt's eyebrow shot up, "I'm not dating anymore women Kurt-"

"No dad!" Kurt rolled his eyes, "It's our new football coach, she wants to talk to you."

"She?" His eyebrows furrowed, but he followed his son out of into the garage, he was surprised to see a rather burly woman standing there, she wasn't fat, but she was definitly fit. She actually looked taller than him. Burt glanced down at his son, "Kurt said you wanted to talk to me? I'm Burt Hummel." He offered his hand, despite it's grease.

She took it and shook it in return, "Shannon Beiste, I've come to speak with you about your son and his possible football career."

Burt looked down from his kid and back to Kurt, "All right, why don't we talk in my office. Kurt, if you'd like to get started on the Kia, it needs an oil change, tire rotation and several filters changed."

Kurt nodded, "Sure thing, let me know what he says," Kurt asked Shannon before headed into the back to change.

Burt led the woman into his office, "So a woman football coach."

She was suddenly worried that Kurt was stuck with a highly homophobic father, or worse his father didn't know he was gay. "Yeah, got a problem with that?"

The man laughed, "Lady, there isn't much I've got a problem with anymore when it comes to people who are different. If having a gay son has taught me only one thing, which it's taught me far more than that, but it would be tolerance. So, what can I do for you?"

She smiled, "I find that surprising, based on what Principal Figgins and Schuester have to say about you, they make you out as this terrifying man."

Burt chuckled, "Probably because most parents don't threaten to take a flame thrower to the school if their son isn't given a shot at a solo in Glee Club."

And suddenly it was all clear. Burt wasn't abusive, he wasn't a bully, he wasn't terrifying or cruel, and he certainly wasn't homophobic or clueless. He was the perfect example of what every parent should be to their child, protective, loving and desperate to make sure their child has a fair chance in the world. "I wish there were more parents like you." Shannon stated, without realizing she'd said it outloud.

Burt nodded a thanks, "I didn't always feel that way. I wasn't much different than the kids who throw my kid around or beat him up for being gay. But…having a son that is gay changed a lot, when Kurt's mom died I figured it was better to have one parent who could make him happy and love him no matter what, then have him think he didn't have any parents anymore."

Burt had been right then, Shannon decided her words carefully, "From what I hear Kurt is an incredible kicker."

Burt smiled, "Best I've seen since I was a high school freshman to be exact."

"Then you know why I'm here, despite your son's disinterest in sports or his obvious size, I think your son could help us win a championship this year, and I've given him a proposition that if he plays for me, I'll do whatever I can to ensure he's safe at the school. What he doesn't know is I've already given the names of the bullies I saw around him this morning to Principal Figgins, and I've already told Schuester he needs to do a better job taking care of his kids. I don't know how Kurt is as a singer, though I can imagnie, but I do know that if he really kicks the way everyone says I'd be an idiot if I didn't offer him a chance. Equally, and I'm sure you'd agree, that your son could use a little more back up when it came to school."

Burt eyed her for a long moment, "So why talk to me, sounds like you've already spoken to him and you've made your decision."

"Because your son said he wouldn't agree to kick until you said it was okay."

"Look, if my kid wants to play fine, but I won't have him on a team where he isn't welcome. Coach Tanaka wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed."

"And I agree. I promised him three games, and if he didn't feel like he was safer at school or on the team then he could quit and I'd still do my best to make sure he was safe."

"Why him?"

Shannon looked at him, "Mr. Hummel, look at me, I've been at the school all of two weeks and I've already been mocked for my size, my gender and my allged sexuality. I'm not different than him, the only difference is someone took me under their wing and gave me the opportunity to shine." Burt was silent, but his eyebrows indicated interest, "My father was coach of the Cinncinati Bears for quite some time, and he took me to every game. Like you, he didn't care whether or not I liked boys or girls, all he cared about was that I was safe and happy."

"Sounds like a good man. Look you can't guarentee anymore than me that my kid is going to make it out of this hick town safe."

She nodded, "You're right, I can't, but I can at least try and keep school safe for him."

Burt sighed and stood, walking to the office door he opened it, "Kurt! Come here please."

A moment later the boy that had previously been prestinely dressed stepped into the office with a jumper that read KURT, and his hands were covered in grease, if it weren't for seeing Burt in the same condition, Shannon would've thought this was a completely different kid she was seeing. "Kurt, Ms. Beiste here would like you to return to the game of football. What do you think?"

Kurt looked from Shannon to his father, mildly surprised that his father seemed okay with this. "Um…well I mean I don't love football and I'm pretty sure I'm going to come home with more bruises…but I kind of liked feeling…like I was a part of a team…and it was something to talk to you about."

Burt studied his son, "You and I talk plenty. Is this what you want?"

"Can I have my music…not everyone, just me and only when I'm kicking?"

Shannon smiled, "Kurt, if you kick the way you did last year as often as you can, you can have the music as often as you'd like."

Kurt stuidied, thinking, "I think I'd like to give it a shot. You said yourself dad, Hummel's aren't quitters, we don't let people bully us. I stopped playing because I was getting bullied. Let me try. If things go down hill, or I don't feel safe anymore, then I'll stop."

Shannon agreed, "I promise, if I see anything funny, I'll pull him aside. Your son can protect himself, I'm not saying he can't, but a little extra help won't hurt."

The father looked from his son to the coach, "If you honestly want to try this and you think you want to play, then I'm not going to stop you. I just want to make sure you're not choosing this as an easy way to get out of bullying. That's not what has to happen, I'm sure Coach Beiste will help whether or not you play."

Shannon nodded. Kurt smiled, "I want to try it dad…Coach, can I make one request…okay two?"

"Sure."

"I want number 12, it was my dad's number." The older man beamed at this, "And two, would you consider letting Finn back on the team, as long as he and I can still go to glee."

"Deal." She stood, shaking Burt's hand again, "Gentleman, I appreacite your time. Kurt I'll see you tomorrow at Football practice, tell your friend Finn to come."

Moments later the football coach had left, leaving the two Hummels alone in the garage, "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Burt shrugged, "As long as your happy Kurt, so am I."

The End


End file.
